Derby County v Sheffield Wednesday preview: Is there hope for the Owls?

Sheffield Wednesday travel to Championship high-flyers Derby County on Saturday afternoon, hoping to upset the odds and overturn a run which as seen them fail to win their last six league matches.

Stuart Gray’s side sit 11th in the table after 31 games, with nineteen points separating them from the third-placed Rams, who boast one of the best home records in the division, having lost just twice on home soil all season.

With 61 goals, Steve McClaren’s team have established themselves as one of the most entertaining outfits in the division, but they go into the weekend without a win in three and in danger of losing ground on fellow promotion chasers Middlesbrough and Bournemouth if results don’t pick up soon.

Despite the home side's vastly superior production in front of goal, Wednesday in fact fire off slightly more shots per game than their opponents, but where the Owls clearly let themselves down is putting away those chances – just five per cent compared to Derby's 15 per cent.

Goals

Total Shots GAME

Scoring V Shooting Accuracy

Goals Conceded

Opp Shots GAME

Errors Lead To Goal

Errors Lead To Shot

Clean Sheets

Games

Derby

61

13.23

15%

31

13.03

3

7

14

31

Sheff Wed

23

13.68

5%

28

12.32

1

7

14

31

Defensively, the visitors also come out just on top, suggesting the likes of the in-form Darren Bent and Tom Ince may have a harder time breaking them down than anticipated.

In addition, it’s worth noting that Wednesday have beaten three of the league’s top 10 sides on their travels this season, recording wins over Boro, Blackburn Rovers and Nottingham Forest, and, with tall front man Atdhe Nuthiu potentially being brought back into the line-up, Derby’s defenders could have an imposing aerial threat to deal with.

If Gray’s side can remain tight at the back and make the most of their opportunities on the afternoon then they might just stand a chance, but if Derby get on the scoresheet early then it’s likely the tone will be set for the rest of the match.

Freddie Shires

Freddie is a freelance sports writer, having recently completed an MA in Sports Journalism at St. Mary’s University, Twickenham. With an especially keen interest in all things American sports-related, he has written extensively about the NFL, MLS and the U.S. national team for various sites.